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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spring — of water
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spring — the season
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kid — child
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com